‘Dropout factories,’ they are not
Challenges
I am writing in response to the recent article, “Colleges dubbed ‘dropout factories’ ” (Page A3, Aug. 18), highlighting a recent report on the status of higher education in Texas and the US.
I lead Project GRAD, an organization with a 25year history working with Houston communities, students and families, high schools, community colleges, and universities. We have sent more than 7,000 Houston students to college as GRAD Scholars, increasing the number of historically, underrepresented students who enroll and succeed in college.
Through this work, we know firsthand the challenge first generation college students face. Often their path involves attending more than one postsecondary institution before completion, working more hours than would typically be advised, and taking fewer courses per semester in order to address financial barriers and balance competing priorities.
Before labeling our community colleges and universities as ‘drop-out factories,’ we need to consider how we define success, and understand exactly what is measured, as well as what is not. Otherwise, we risk designing solutions before understanding the real challenges. Institutions providing any student with the opportunity to pursue their goals provide an important function. Our communities are better places because they have the courage to believe in the potential of all students — even if that potential takes longer to be realized.
Consider the example of one GRAD Scholar who began college at one university, transferred to a community college to be closer to home and manage financial obligations, and eventually transferred to the University of Houston Downtown, graduating with a bachelor’s degree eight years after his start in college. Today, he works in Houston as an IT professional and is a model of success – for his family and siblings, for his community, for the next generation to follow.
Failure of an institution to support the success of students does happen, and we must look seriously at the indebtedness and career readiness of our college graduates. The stories from GRAD Scholars are examples of persistence and success. Neither they nor their institutions from which they graduated are failures simply because they took more time to achieve their dreams. Ann B. Stiles, President & CEO, Project GRAD Houston